Unwanted Company
by writing-is-thinking-on-paper
Summary: "Patricia was taken aback by how casual he seemed about it all. He even had the nerve to flash her a cheeky grin, as if that would somehow make up for his intrusion. With a quick talk of paying 'double the fare', the new rider settled in beside her." AU Peddie. Possible two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This idea came to mind the other day and I decided to write it up. Originally I wasn't planning on posting this fic, but after some deliberation I decided to. It's AU, but I tried to keep it as in-character as possible.**

Patricia's head fell back onto the board behind her as she let out a miserable groan. She watched the blonde float around their dorm room, pulling articles of clothing off their hangers, then flinging them across the bed for future consideration.

"Amber," Patricia whined, "Quit with the outfits! You've practically destroyed my entire closet."

"We only have one hour to get you ready, Patricia, and you don't even own a suitable dress! I hope you understand the stressful situation you've caused." Amber flipped her hair over her shoulder, then set to work again.

"_Only_ an hour!" The redhead replied incredulously, "How long were you expecting this to take?"

"I was _expecting_ that you'd at least have something to wear!" The frantic blonde took a deep breath to calm herself, "But, being the genius that I am, I made a backup plan." She walked over to her dresser and soon produced a piece of paper with bubbly cursive written over most of its surface.

"What's that?" Amber ignored the question and instead cleared her throat, suddenly turning very serious.

"Now, if we follow the strict timeline that I set-up, we should be able to get you done by 7:45. This leaves exactly 10 minutes for you to accessorize with..." Her eyes wandered over to the skull rings and gothic-themed items scattered across her roommate's bureau, "...your own_ personal_ touches." She flashed a cheery smile, and was leafing through the closet again before Patricia could protest.

She was beginning to regret ever agreeing to this in first place. But if there was one thing better than Amber's eye for fashion, it was her powers of persuasion.

* * *

The bitter air stung her bare legs in the short black dress she was finally forced into. It was unseasonably cold outside, and the light cardigan was doing nothing to shield off the wind. The slim heels Amber insisted she wore tapped lightly against the pavement, muffled by the sounds of the city. Black cabs streaked by her, but at this busy time of night, few of them had their signs illuminated.

She fidgeted with the hem of her dress as her eyes scanned the sea of traffic. Patricia finally spotted a vacant cab and rushed over, hopping inside and slamming the door closed to keep in the warm air.

"2400 East Street, please." She recited the address then slouched comfortably in her seat. The cars were moving at an agonizingly slow rate, meaning she had a long ride ahead of her.

With her gaze fixed out the window, she felt a blast of cold air from behind and whipped around to see what it was.

"Hey, can you bring me to the pub on Market ave?" The new passenger called up to the driver without a glance in her direction.

"Uh, no, actually he can't!" Patricia interjected loudly and gave the strange man her most menacing glare. She was taken aback by how casual he seemed about it all. He even had the nerve to flash her a cheeky grin, as if that would somehow make up for his intrusion. With a quick talk of paying 'double the fare', the new rider settled in beside her.

"And you are..." He turned to address her, the same smirk still playing on his lips.

"Not interested." Patricia looked towards the window with every intention of ignoring him for the rest of the time. But this guy, whoever he was, had an equally strong mind. And much to her distaste, he laughed outright at her insult.

"A little harsh, considering you don't even know my name." This time when he spoke, she got a good look at his face.

He was quite handsome, she'd give him that, but his over-confident demeanor and American drawl were enough to put her on edge.

"Anyways, the name's Eddie." His lips curved into a flirtatious grin as he extended his hand out to hers. Her eyes lingered on it for a moment, before meeting his again with an imperious stare.

"Patricia." She replied coolly, but her attention was out the window soon after.

Now it was Eddie's turn to gape; nobody had ever turned him down like that before. His curious gaze looked her over again, studying the cross features of her face, and enjoying the curve of her legs in the short black dress that had a tendency to ride up.

"So, where are you going all dressed up? Don't you think it's a little fancy for this part of the city?" The little smirk was back on his face, and he crossed his arms expectantly, clearly awaiting an explanation from her.

"For your information,_ Eddie_," She spoke his name as if it was poison on her tongue, "I'm on my way to a date. A date with a guy much more considerate than you. And you know what, I shouldn't even be telling you this!" She huffed angrily at how easily he was able to pry information out of her.

"Oh, poor guy. I hope he knows he's stuck with a yacker like you." Eddie chuckled lightly at cleverness to come up with a nickname. Patricia, on the other hand, was not amused.

The cab slowly rolled up to the curb, stopping outside a crowded pub on Market ave. The redhead let out a sigh of relief, thankful to soon be rid of the obnoxious American.

"Well, _Yacker_, as much as I'd love to stay and hang, I think I'm going to go where people actually enjoy my company." He shot her one last grin before paying the driver and stepping outside. Eddie cut right to the front of the line that weaved around the block, strolling inside with a sort of swagger to his step.

"Disgusting." Patricia muttered.

The cabbie looked back at her, a suspicious gleam settled in his eyes. He was there throughout their entire conversation, and had a good ear to listen in. He hummed thoughtfully to himself, before shifting into gear and setting off towards her destination.

Patricia tried to focus on the date that she was about to attend, but somehow her mind kept wandering back to that obnoxious American and his signature smirk.

_Disgusting, indeed._

**A/N: I was thinking possible two-shot...? I'm not sure if there's enough interest, though. Don't hesitate to leave your thoughts in a review, I'd love to hear some opinions. Thanks for reading! **_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for all your awesome reviews on the last chapter! I'm sorry I didn't get this part up sooner, but December is always crazy with the holidays fast approaching!**

It was eleven o'clock and the city roads were nearly dark. The soft glow of streetlights lining the pavement allowed Patricia to see only a few meters ahead. She had been walking for just ten minutes, and was already cursing Amber's name for her impractical choice of shoes.

The night itself had been a catastrophe, and now even the tiniest of mistakes sent her reeling. Not only was her date an hour behind, when he finally arrived, all he seemed to talk about was himself. It took every ounce of willpower in her body to resist the urge to tell him off, or better yet, smack that smile of his face.

And perhaps that's why she ended up here, walking in search of the nearest bus stop. Of course she expected to get a ride home. But with his constant blabbering, the idea of spending a car ride together was almost unbearable.

Patricia finally spotted the worn waiting benches, and trudged over to them, sitting with a groan. There was a man slouching on one to her right, but she paid no mind to him. He was probably some drunk from a nearby bar.

Pulling her phone from a pocket, her eyes trained on its bright screen. She had four missed calls, probably all from her anxious roommate who was curious as to how the date went. She sputtered out a laugh as this thought came to mind. Amber would definitely not be receiving the news she expected.

Patricia did have the decency to give her a call, though. Maybe it would limit the questions asked later, and instead she could collapse into bed and never be forced out again. But given the blonde's persistence, that didn't seem likely.

"So," An eager voice picked up the phone, "Tell me everything!"

"Well," She began, a secret smirk on her lips, "Overall I'd say it was pretty awful."

"Patricia," Amber groaned, "What did you do this time?"

"Why do you always assume it's my fault?" She defended, "Maybe they guys you set me up with are the problem."

"Are you questioning my matchmaking skills? Because this love-guru does not make mistakes." Her long blonde hair flipped over her shoulder. "I think you need my training..And I know it might take a lot of time, but I'm willing to put in the effort -"

"Yeah, I'm hanging up now." Patricia warned, stopping her roommate mid-sentence by clicking off the phone.

As she got her first real chance to relax that night, her thoughts were interrupted by a purposeful clearing of throat and a loud, rather obnoxious, voice that belonged to the man on the neighboring bench.

"Well, if it isn't the Yacker." Her head whipped towards him, eyes wide and mouth gaping.

"How..." She began, but her gaze followed his to the street sign reading 'Market Ave'.

_Of course._

The nearest bus stop was right in front of the pub Eddie went into earlier. And due to her chronic case of bad luck, he happened to be waiting there at the same time.

"I'll admit, I didn't expect to see you here, but I guess I could use the company..." A confident smirk curved across his lips, and arrogance dripped off every word.

Instead of replying, Patricia rolled her eyes. Her arms crossed over her chest as an unwelcoming scowl took spot on her face. After a day like today, the last thing she needed was a slimeball like him to come along and make it worse.

"Are you always this dismissive?" Though it was a legitimate question, Eddie wore a wry smile. "Or maybe it's just because you had a bad night..." He looked at her knowingly.

Patricia blushed as she realized he was hinting at her conversation with Amber, or more importantly, that he knew the date had been a disaster. Now that he was seated next to her, with that same same smirk still on his lips, there would be no escaping his taunts.

"Still think he's more considerate than me, Yacker? Because by the sounds of it, I'd totally disagree." He smiled crookedly, obviously quite pleased with himself.

"Just leave off, yeah? I think I've had enough of you for one night." Patricia narrowed her eyes at him before dropping her gaze to the ground below.

He stayed silent for a moment, studying her slouched position with a curious stare. They had met only a few hours before, and it was safe to say they weren't on the best of terms, but it looked like she had a bad night. And as bitter as the girl could be, part of him still felt bad.

"And now the Yacker doesn't yack..." He took in a slow breath, hesitant to say more.

Patricia's eyes flickered up from the pavement to meet his. She was suspicious, and for good reason, almost doubtful.

"What do you want, slimeball?"

"Sorry." A smirk danced across his features, "I should've remembered you don't understand friendly conversation."

"What?" She turned to face him with a suppressed smile on her lips, "You were the one that barged into the cab! That was a smart move, doofus. For all I knew you could've been some serial killer." Eddie scoffed in disbelief.

"Get a good look at me, Yacker. Do I seem like some street bum?" He offered her yet another flirtatious grin as her eyes quickly scanned over him.

She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of being right, so instead dropped her attention back to her phone, not even bothering to reply.

The pair sat in silence until the bus came into sight, its brakes hissing and screeching as it rolled up to the curb.

"Ladies first." Eddie stood, gesturing a hand toward the door with a sly smile.

"To have you look up my dress?" Patricia sneered, "Nice try, weasel, but save your chivalry for someone else." She grinned triumphantly before shoving Eddie up the steps before her.

Their banter continued like this for most of the ride, much to the chagrin of the other passengers. Before long, the driver announced the next stop was at Fountain Square. Patricia gathered her belongings from the floor, and stood to leave.

"Wait!" He flung himself up from his seat, then cursed right after doing so.

He couldn't chicken out now.

"Would you maybe, uh, want to hang out sometime?" He tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but his slick bravado was clearly missing.

"You mean like a date..." Her nose scrunched up at the thought, but the more she considered it, the less strange it seemed.

"Just one date, Patricia. And I promise I'll be a _perfect_ gentleman." Eddie was grinning at her now, knowing he was so close to making her crack.

She pursed her lips at this, clearly debating whether or not to take him up on the offer. At last, she sighed, reaching out to hand him a piece of paper with her number scrawled across its surface.

"Alright, one date, but that's it. And no funny stuff afterwards, got it?" She gave him a stern look, though she was trying her hardest to repress a smile. Eddie nodded eagerly, before cocking his head to one side as a thought came upon him.

"But you know, I'm going to need you clarify 'funny stuff' because that's still pretty vague." She rolled her eyes, walking off the bus and leaving a beaming Eddie behind.

They didn't know then, but Patricia would go back on her word. They still went on that date. But afterwards...

Well, I think you have an inkling as to what happened then.

**A/N: I received a lot of great ideas for this chapter, so thank you for those. They were all wonderful to receive, but unfortunately I couldn't incorporate them all! If I don't speak to you beforehand, I want to wish you all a safe and happy holiday! Whatever it is you celebrate, I hope you enjoy the well-needed rest. Anyways, thanks for reading and remember to review!**


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